Topic: Health

Childhood stress can damage virtually every kind of cognition that exists. It damages memory and executive function. It can hurt motor skills. It disrupts the immune system and children get sick more often. It disrupts ability to sleep. It actually shrinks the brain. Tips on how to avoid it. Read more...

Screen time is here to stay and for children under the age of five years is rising at an alarming rate. Screens, in their multitude of forms, will be a part of your children’s lives at some point. What parents really need to be on top of is; the latest research findings, what experts are recommending and alternative ways to engage babies and children without screens. Read more...

Research is showing that children who are obese tend to stay obese into adulthood. Habits are formed very early. It is as early as the first year that the problem starts for many children. Read how you can help to make a difference to the massive problem of paediatric obesity. Read more...

Those who come along to BabyROO, GymbaROO and KindyROO know how insistent we are at having babies and children remove their socks and shoes for playing and climbing. Bare feet not only stimulate healthy development of the muscles and tendons in the feet and legs, but also provide us with important balance and navigation skills and, as new research tells us, improved memory. Read more...

There may be a fair few of you out there who, like me, have a serious love/hate relationship with Halloween and what it has become. There are people out there who are finding ways to make Halloween work for them and for those in need. Read more...

Depression does not need to be a big secret. It’s an illness just like asthma or diabetes, totally out of our control and definitely not something to be ashamed of. Nina Mitchell writes for GymbaROO Read more...

At GymbaROO and KindyROO we have always strongly advocated the importance of motor development in the first years of life to later success at school. The relationship between motor development and school success is gaining much greater traction and support as research is finding more and more, that children who do well academically also have high levels of motor skill ability. Read more...

In this study the average neurological age of the children participating in the GymbaROO UP movement program increased by an average of nearly TWO YEARS in the 10-12 month testing period. Conversely, the non-participating group improved their average neurological age by ONLY SIX MONTHS over the same time period. The movement classes were run in place of literacy or numeracy sessions. Read more...

Psychologists tell us that laughter helps children to make sense of their world and enjoy life. It promotes sociability, empathy, self-esteem and problem solving. Laughter balances the left and right side of the brain encouraging clarity, creativity and assists the growing of intelligence. Read more...

The reason dancing plays such a big part in our GymbaROO / BabyROO programs is not only because it is such fun, dancing is also fantastic for your baby's brain and body development and it provides many lovely parent/baby bonding opportunities. Read more...

Meal times with young children can be so much fun but as we all know they can so very quickly turn to custard and be the most frustrating experience of our day! Food is such an important factor when it comes to little ones excelling in the classroom in the future. Here are some great ideas about how to establish a healthy relationship between your children and the food they eat.
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Have you ever struggled to find your car in the car park…then your car keys…then arrived home to discover you forgot to buy the item you originally went to the shops to purchase? We have all heard of 'Baby Brain', but does it really exist, or is it just a way of excusing what can sometimes turn out to be rather disconcerting behaviour? Read more...

Primitive reflexes have been in the news lately as it becomes more widely understood that if babies and young children do not have the movement opportunities and practice to learn to fully control the reflexes, the ‘retained reflexes’ can interfere with later learning and development. Take a look at our free video. Read more...